by Angel Steel
“You can’t go off like you did, Skylar. What happens if something happened to you or our child? How do you think that is going to make me feel, when I caused you to drive off? God damn it Skylar,” he growled.
“I said I was sorry, Nate. What else do you want me to tell you?”
“Well, you shouldn’t have fucking left in the first place, Sky. You should have stayed here, at your place. Instead, you decided to drive away. Running away, yet again, from things that you should have stayed back to sort out. You always run, Skylar. You never just stay where you are and think things through.”
Well, he was pissed, but so was she. “Really? You want to argue right now? Is that it, Nate? You want me to feel bad for what I did to you. Well, I do, ok? I’m sorry I left, but I didn’t run this time. I was planning on coming back.”
“You did run, Skylar. Jesus. I’m so fucking pissed at you right now; it’s the understatement of the century. We are both supposed to work together, not individually. We are a team. You and I.”
“I know, Nate.”
“Well, you need to get it through your thick head that it isn’t just about you anymore, it’s about us.”
As she went to sit in the driver’s seat, the pain came back and worse than before. She doubled over and grabbed the door to steady herself against the pain shooting across her stomach.
“I know it’s about us, Nate,” she gritted through the pain. This one lasted longer than the others. If she could compare the feeling to anything, it was just like a cramp, but ten times worse.
“Do you believe it when you tell me that, Skylar? Because it’s a little hard on my part. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything at all to you, I know what I did was wrong, but I was only thinking of you and our child. I didn’t want you to stress over something that would sort itself out soon.”
She couldn’t do it anymore by herself; she needed him there with her.
“Nate.” She was scared. She didn’t know what was going on. It was way too early to go into labour. She still had two months left before the due date. It could not be happening yet.
“Skylar, where are you so I can come and get you and bring you home. Then, I’m going to spank the living shit out of your ass for running off,” he growled again.
“Nate. Stop, please. Shit.” She was on the verge of tears, she couldn’t help it. They could argue after, once she was home, not right at that point in time.
“What’s going on?” His tone changed from pissed off to worried within seconds.
“Something is wrong,” she said as she carefully sat beside the car.
“What do you mean, something is wrong?”
“I think I’m in labour, Nate.”
“You can’t be. You’re not due for another eight weeks, maybe its Braxton Hicks.”
“You read the books?”
“Of course I did, Sky. I didn’t want to miss out on anything.”
She smiled the best she could. “Well, the pain really doesn’t feel like Braxton Hicks to me, they’re really painful, Nate.”
“Ok. Where are you, and I’ll come and get you, baby. We’ll work through this together.”
“I don’t know where I am. I turned down a road several hours ago. Now, my car won’t start. I want to come home, Nate. I don’t want to be out here anymore,” she whimpered.
“Do you remember the last sign or street name you saw? Anything to help me find where you are?”
“I can’t remember.” Pain shot up her spine, making her curl up in the foetal position. “It really hurts, Nate,” she cried.
“Come on baby, breathe through it. Breathe in and out, steady.”
She tried, she really did. “I can’t.”
“I know you can. Do it with me. In. Now, out. In. Out. Deep breaths.”
Concentrating on his breathing, she did the same. It helped having him on the phone, talking it through with her.
“Better now, sweetheart?.”
“For now.”
“Since you don’t know where you are. On your phone, there is a little icon that looks like a racetrack. I want you to turn it on.”
Removing her phone from her ear, she found what he had said and turned it on.
“Ok, done. What is it?”
“It’s a cell tracker. I have the same on my phone. It will tell me exactly where you are.”
She was glad at this point that he put something like that on her phone; she wasn’t upset about it at all, although he had never told her about doing it in the first place.
“Jesus. You’re an hour away, baby. Didn’t you know how far you went?”
Damn! “No, I just kept driving. It was relaxing.”
“Ok. I know where you are now. I’m going to call everyone and see if any of them are closer to you, than I am.”
“Please, don’t hang up.”
“I won’t, Sky. I’m going to use the landline. I’ll be here the whole time, baby.”
She leaned back and rested her head against the side of her car, listening as Nate spoke to someone, other than her. She started to feel uncomfortable at the way she was sitting on the ground. Grabbing the handle of the door to help lift herself up, she moved her leg to stand fully, and the pain came back, tenfold.
“Shit,” she hissed.
“What is it?” Nate asked.
“Pain, God it hurts. I don’t think I can do this, Nate.”
“I know it hurts, baby, but you can do this. I need you to get in the backseat of your car, and lay down on your back. Can you do that, baby?”
Standing as best she could as the pain surrounded her belly, she closed the driver door and moved to the back door. “Ok,” she replied.
Opening the door, she held onto the headrest of the driver seat. She tried to lift herself up, but it didn’t work. “Nate, I really can’t,” she sobbed. The pain was intensifying.
“I know you can. Come on,” he encouraged her. She could just make out what he was saying to whoever he was talking to on the other end, and it wasn’t good.
Telling herself she could do it, she lifted up and into the backseat. Once she was there, she tried to lie on her back, but shot back up straight away. She couldn’t lie down like that. Moving onto her side, the best she could, she used her bag as a pillow as she lay down. Using her foot, she pulled the door closed, after hitting the remote in the middle console to lock the doors. She lay there as best as she could.
Nate was still talking to someone on his end. She was tired and needed sleep. Today had been a big day and she was finally over it. She was about to tell Nate that when her phone beeped, letting her know that her phone was dying. Great.
“Um, Nate.”
He continued talking, but not to her. “Nate!” she yelled into the phone. She knew she only had five, maybe ten minutes max left on her phone before it died completely.
“Everything alright, Sky?”
“Um, sort of.”
“Tell me, baby.”
“My phone is about to die.” She didn’t want to be completely left alone out there.
“Fuck. Ok. Let me think.”
She knew how he felt. She didn’t like the idea so much herself. Being stranded out here, with no phone, anything could happen, and apparently, it was going to happen.
“Nate.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck. Craig is with Alex over at his parent’s house, they are double the time away from you. But they are leaving now to get here. Dominic is over an hour away from you. I couldn’t get hold of him but I know where he is. Joey is on the phone now, his brother lives close by. He’s going to give him a call now and see if he can meet you were you are. Joey is going to head over now; he’s about twenty minutes away. The ambulance is on its way, too, they should arrive when I do, baby.”
“Ok,” she whispered. There was no way she would be able to stay on the phone the whole time until either Joey or his brother arrived.
“Everything is going to be fine, Sky. I’m heading your way now.”
The
phone beeped in her ear again. “I only have five minutes left of my battery.”
“Damn it, Skylar. Shit. Do you have your car charger?”
“No. It’s in your truck.”
She lifted her phone away from her ear as Nate cursed, and kept doing exactly that. She lost count after the tenth ‘fuck’ she heard him yell.
“What am I going to do when my phone dies, Nate?”
“You’re going to stay in your car, until either Joey or his brother arrive. They know exactly where you are. Make sure you leave your headlights on so they know where you are. Jesus, I wish I were with you right now, baby. I hate the idea that you’re out there, alone.”
“I wish you were here, too. Nate. I’m so sorry for doing this. I didn’t mean to.”
“I know, Sky. I probably would have done the same damn thing.”
She could feel the pain tightening around her stomach again, God, she did not want to go through this pain without him. “The pain is coming back,” she gritted out.
“Breathe, baby. I know you can do it.”
Gritting her teeth, she gripped onto the front seat, her knuckles going white. She was close to ripping the headrest off completely.
“Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth. You need to breathe properly, Sky.”
Her phone started beeping, the screen was flashing. No. She didn’t want him gone.
“How is the pain now?” he asked.
She couldn’t think of it, she was now more worried about sitting there alone.
“It’s gone for now. I love you so much, Nate. I’m sorry I didn’t have my charger in the car.”
“And I love you, baby. I will buy you an extra one.”
His voice started to cut out and she knew that it the phone from seconds away from dying, ending her call to him.
“Skylar. Can... hear...?”
“Nate. I love you.” Those were the last words she said before the screen went black.
She cried as she threw her phone across the car. She should have never taken out her bloody charger. If she had left it where it was, she would be still talking to Nate, until someone arrived. Now, she was lying in the back of her car, listening to the noises outside. A dog started barking, further up the road from what she could tell. She never should have turned down a road that she didn’t know very well.
She would remember that for next time, if she ever decided to take a trip by herself. After the way Nate was on the phone, there was no way she was ever going anywhere by herself anymore. And that didn’t bother her one single bit.
Closing her eyes, she laid there, waiting for the next pain to overtake her body. She really hoped it was Braxton Hicks and not actual labour. She was upset with herself letting all the stress get to her. She knew it was wrong to do so, but when you cared so much for a friend that you classed as a sister to you, you would do anything in your power to do what you could to help them. No matter the cost to yourself. But it wasn’t just her anymore. Rubbing over her large belly, she knew she had another to think about besides Nate. Their child. Their child came before anyone else. It came before her. It came before Nate. This was a miracle child. It brought her and Nate back together. It gave her a meaning to be here. To love another besides Nate, unconditionally. Her world revolved around this child she was carrying, nothing else. Nothing else mattered besides her child and Nate.
******
Nate threw his phone across the seat beside him. He knew he should have followed Skylar the moment she left his place, but he thought that maybe given a little time she would be back. When the first hour went by, it didn’t bother him so much, but as it rounded close to the four-hour mark, he was livid. He tried so many times calling her, but no bloody answer. How could she just drive around for so long? He was close to ripping his house apart; he needed to know where she was.
When his phone rung, he missed it. He was on another call. He was trying to figure out if she had driven to any of the places that they had went to. Ready to dial Craig’s number, his phone rung in his hand. Once he answered it, his heart started to beat like it was for the first time, again. Hearing her voice come across the phone was a blessing. He was super pissed at her, but he was happy.
He needed to tell her exactly how he felt. And he was ready to really let her have it, until she told him that she could be in labour. Now, he was driving as fast and as safe as he could to get to her. He hated hearing her in pain over the phone; he couldn’t do a damn thing from where he was for her. He prayed that she wasn’t in labour. It was way too early for that to happen, it couldn’t happen yet.
He was only thirty minutes into getting to her, when his phone rung. He reached over for it where he threw it last, and answered.
“Yeah.”
“I’m here, Nate. But she isn’t opening the door. I don’t know if she is asleep, or unconscious.”
Seriously, this was all screwed up. “Can’t you just break into her car; it shouldn’t be that bloody hard?.”
“Sorry, I left my break-in kit at home, Nate. Come on. Give me a second and I’ll see what I can do,” Joey said.
He heard Joey obviously talking to his brother on the other end. After arguing, there was a loud crash heard over the line. “What the fuck was that?”
“Jet broke the back window. He’s climbing in now and unlocking the door.”
“Why couldn’t you have done something else, instead of that?”
“Do you want me to get in there or not? It was the only option. If I started to fuck around with the locks, we’d still be waiting.”
Ok, well he didn’t want that. He heard the door open. “She is still breathing, her pulse is steady, cold to the touch. Skylar, can you hear me?”
God he hoped she was all right. He pushed down harder on the accelerator; he was only fifteen minutes out from her. He had called 000, before he left his place, giving the exact area as to where Skylar was. He explained the situation to them, and they would be there, minutes after he would be arrive. At the rate he was speeding, he would be there within five to ten minutes.
“Skylar, sweetheart. Open your eyes,” Joey said.
“What’s going on?” He needed to know all the details.
“Jet’s just wrapped a blanket around her. She’s getting colour back to her face, but still out cold.”
“Can’t you just slap her a little to wake her up?”
“There is no way I am doing that. One, I won’t live it down from you, and two, I’m not dealing with a pregnant woman pissed at me from slapping her.”
He couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Fine. But you need to do something to wake her up. At this point I really don’t care what it is, Joey.”
“Go to my truck and grab the water bottle in back!” Joey yelled out, and Nate assumed he was talking to his brother.
The silence was killing him. Nothing was said, no noises were heard as he turned down the road she was apparently on.
Finally, he heard her groan across the line. He had been holding his breath, waiting to hear anything from her.
“How is she?”
“Skylar, its Joey. Can you hear me, darling?”
“Nate.”
“Nate’s will be here very soon, Skylar. Can you tell me if anything hurts?”
He loved hearing his name come from her mouth.
He could see both Skylar and Joey’s cars ahead. Screeching to a stop, he launched himself out of his truck and ran towards them.
“Baby.”
Just seeing her curled up in her backseat, shivering but still moving, was a blessing. Moving to the passenger side, he kneeled up on and looked over the seat, so he could see her better.
He watched as her body pulled taut, both of her hands quickly going to her belly, as she moaned.
He grabbed for her hand, and held it, as she squeezed.
Looking over at Joey, he said, “She can’t be in labour. It’s not possible yet.”
“I don’t know, Nate. But by the look of it, s
he is.”
Red and blues lights started flashing from the back end of the car; the sirens from the ambulance were getting louder and louder as it stopped behind all the cars on the road. Nate never moved from where he was. Joey jumped out and ran over to where the paramedics were grabbing their things.
“It hurts, Nate,” she cried as she dug her nails into his hand.
“I know, baby. Just breathe through it. The paramedics are here to help you.”
The backdoor nearest to him opened as a paramedic stood there. “Skylar, my name is Janice. Can you tell me what is going on?” the female paramedic asked.
“I started having these sharp pains, across my back and stomach. I think I’m in labour.” She gritted her teeth from the apparent pain she was in.
“Ok. I’m going to check you over; can you sit up for me so it is easier to access you?”
“I don’t think I can,” she mumbled.
“That’s fine. I’m going to come in here and lean over you.” Janice climbed into the back the best she could and did exactly what she said. “Danny, can you do the same on your side, please,” she instructed the other paramedic.
There was no way he was moving from where he was. Skylar still had a grip of his hand, as they started poking and prodding her. Another shot of pain took over her body, as Janice placed her hand over her belly. “Danny, you need to see if she has dilated at all.”
“No!” Nate growled. There was no freaking way he was going to sit back and watch as some male was going to check down there.
“Sir, we need to see if she is dilating. If she is, we need to move this along real quick.”
“I don’t want him going down there. You, on the other hand, can,” he gritted out.
“Ok. Danny, swap places with me.” Janice removed herself from his side as Danny came around and placed his hand over her stomach. Even though he was a paramedic and just doing his job, he bloody hated it. He couldn’t contain the growl that he let out.
Ignoring him, Janice continued, “Skylar, I need you to pull your knees up to your bottom and spread them apart.”
Nodding, she did as she was asked. Janice placed one hand down on her lower stomach and the other between her legs. Skylar gasped, and Nate stroked his thumb over her wrist as he sat there waiting to see what the verdict was.